Friends For A While Now
by PurpleMoon12
Summary: [AU/AH] Derek watches on as his brother and best friend get cosy together. A short, two part (may turn into a 3 part) story.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, hi, hello! I'm back! I was going to make this a one-shot but decided to make it into a two part story. Or maybe three? Guess you'll just have to stick around and find out ;)**

* * *

The tiny blonde at the bar peered up at the man next to her, flashing an adoring smile as he cracked what was probably _another_ hilarious joke. I fiddled with the collar of my shirt as I was hit with a tight feeling in my chest.

That's how I always felt when I saw them together. My best friend and my brother.

I kept a close eye on Chloe and Simon up at the bar while I pretended to listen to what Liz had to say, a couple of enthusiastic 'uh huh', 'oh wow's' and nods of the head really sold it to her. A roar of victory cut through the thumping music as a young, fiery haired man won yet another round of pool and I downed the rest of my beer, wishing I was anywhere else.

I hated the bar. Absolutely hated it, and I knew she did too, but she seemed to be having so much fun.

 _Yeah, with Simon._

I shook my head.

"Come on lover boy, try not to make it too obvious." Tori's hand delivered a soft, open palmed blow to the back of my head as she returned from the bathroom. I delivered one last glance at the couple up at the bar, Chloe with a grin of adoration as Simon beamed down at her.

Tori knew. She knew I hated seeing them this close.

It never bothered me that Simon was the ladies man; that was always how it was growing up. He was the artsy, social butterfly that everybody loved and I was just his weird adopted brother who always had his head in a book. I never worried about it before; a relationship was never on my radar. I had school to think about and while I was working on turning my 4.0 GPA into a 5.0, he was playing basketball, partying and bringing strange women home to sleep with every night.

Liz enthusiastically introduced Chloe into our little group three years ago while we were in our first year of college and she just kind of stuck. At first I could have mistaken her for a highschooler with her short stature, slim figure and large, innocent blue eyes, but she was only a year younger than myself. She was a lot quieter than the others, and it took her months to come out of her shell.

Simon and Liz warmed up to her instantly, like she was a shiny new toy. Ever since that day three years ago my brother spent his time flirting away with her, it was a wonder they hadn't gotten together yet. Every time they were a bit too friendly, it felt like my heart was trying to jump out of my throat. Everything in me wanted to smack Simon upside the head and tell him to back off, to stop what he was doing. Everybody knew he was a player, for God's sake, so why couldn't Chloe see that?

Oh that's right. She was naive.

She was that shy, quiet girl who always saw the good in everyone and you couldn't even begin to imagine the amount of trouble she got herself in because of it. There were so many times where I had to rescue her in dangerous situations because of her trusting nature. There was Royce, who was in one of her classes. My gut instinct from the moment I met him wasn't good. He disguised himself as Chloe's friend, walked her to her dorm room after they'd study together at the library and one night tried to force his way in. I rounded the corner of her dorm to return a textbook that night only to see Royce beating down her door, screaming and flailing his arms about for her to let him in, that she _owed_ him.

I shuddered thinking about it.

Another night we were out at the bar, the whole group. Simon, Tori, Liz, Rae, Brady and _her._ She went up to the bar alone and got lost in the crowd. A tall, blonde man took her by the arm and attempted to lead her into the bathroom. I managed to get in between them but not before he left bruises on her wrists that took what felt like forever to fade. She didn't step foot in another bar for eight months after that.

Then, of course, there was the time that I wasn't there to help her. The one thing I would never forgive myself for.

Walking back to her dorm at two in the morning after studying, she was followed by three men as they whistled and hollered at her. She beat down my door at three in the morning, bloodied, bruised and broken. To this day, almost a year later, she still hadn't told me the gory details, only that she _wasn't_ raped. Honestly, I didn't want to know and I don't think she wanted to relive that night.

So yeah, Chloe Saunders was the epitome of naive. But how the hell could I stay mad at her? She knew exactly what to say. Every time I had to rescue her I was so scared that I lost it, said some horrible, untrue things that made her cry even harder than she already was.

"What the fuck were you doing walking home alone at two in the morning? How could you be so stupid," I remember yelling in her face as she sobbed, her vibrant blue eyes shining with tears. I remember dabbing a tissue at her bloodied chin as she winced. I remember gently prodding her ribs, checking for injuries. I remember trying to convince her to go to the police.

I remembered that night well, I still had the nightmares, and Chloe still had the scars. She cried, stumbling over her words as she explained that she didn't want to inconvenience me by asking for a ride home.

"Next time, call me when you decide to risk your life. Maybe I can save you from this shit happening again." I spat.

All traces of anger melted when she whispered, "I'm sorry, Derek."

After that? I just felt pain. An aching in my chest knowing I wasn't there to help her this time. She was so small, so fragile. Why would anybody want to hurt her?

Now, well now I was just watching her from a far, waiting for the next thing to happen. Everyone knew what that would be. Liz knew, Tori knew, hell, even Brady knew.

 _Simon._

I loved my brother, I'd be lost without him. But he was such a jerk, a player, a...

I peered up to the bar once more to see Simon tucking a piece of Chloe's hair behind her ear. She smiled up at him, peering through her eyelashes.

The sight made my stomach churn. Not in the sick way, no.

I wanted her to look at me like that.

He was going to break her heart. _He_ was going to be the one to hurt her. And what could I do? If I told him to back off, I'd be a jerk. If I warned her, I'd be jealous and possessive.

But also how much of my worry was for Chloe's sake? How much of it was because I wanted her for myself?

For Simon, college opened up a whole new world for him. New experiences, new girls, new education. I was his awkward brother who only ever studied and had never had a girlfriend. It was never even on my radar until Chloe settled in with our group. At first I didn't want anything to do with her. I didn't like change, and she was exactly that, a change. A change in our group dynamic that I wasn't prepared to deal with. Only when I realized she wasn't going anywhere did I finally start interacting with her. It didn't take me long, but I started to like her and eventually...

Well now, I guess I was in love.

I'd never loved a girl before. I _liked_ Liz and Rae because they were friends but I never had that fluttery feeling in my stomach when I looked at them. Chloe was a different story.

"Are you growling?" Tori asked, her brow raised in amusement.

"No." I grumbled.

"That's funny, I could have sworn I heard you growl." My sister teased.

"This isn't a joke."

Tori's face hardened. The dim lights did a poor job at casting light over us but I could tell what she was thinking. She didn't want Simon hurting Chloe any more than I did.

Another glance over at the bar. They were even closer than before, her hand rested gently on his forearm, close in proximity as the crowd around them squished them closer and closer together.

"I gotta go." I slid out the booth, grabbing my jacket from the seat before heading straight towards the door.

The cold winter air sobered me up and I took a deep breath that I wasn't aware I was holding. I glanced at my watch, almost midnight, before flagging down a cab.

Being sober was somehow so much worse. My mind raced between all sorts of different thoughts. The worst one, though, was that I hoped it was going to be me she turned to after the inevitable happened.

Selfish, right?

Why wouldn't she go to one of her girlfriends? The ones who would offer a compassionate ear, a shoulder to lean on. So far every time I've saved her or she's run to me, I get angry and yell at her for being so foolish.

God she was so _naive._

I leaned my head against the cool window of the cab and sighed heavily. Simon was just going to have to be another lesson Chloe learned on her own. Liz and Tori weren't going to say anything and I didn't want to get in between her and Simon for a myriad of reasons.

A buzzing in my pocket pulled me out of my thoughts. I retrieved my phone and squinted at the screen.

 _Hope u got home okay xx - C_

My stomach did a flip, or was it my heart? I couldn't tell.

 _In the cab now, nearly home. Have fun tonight -D_

That was the last I heard from her. I trudged up the stairs of my apartment building and let myself into my studio. The night was so quiet.

I stripped off my black t-shirt and replaced my jeans with sweats before collapsing onto my bed, wishing that _she_ was next to me.

There was something about the way she'd cuddle up to my side when we watched movies together. When she'd pout endlessly for a piggy back after a big night out. When she'd insist I come out with the group, and persist non stop until I eventually caved.

She wanted me there. She wanted me around, and she never let me forget it. For years now I let that sliver of hope turn into something more. It wasn't a sliver of hope anymore, it was an aching in my chest, wanting to know if we could ever be more than friends.

I felt desperate. Desperate to one day call her mine. Three years of knowing her and one year of trying to play it cool, pretending that she didn't ignite a spark in me whenever she was around.

She was oblivious.

She would never love me.

Never _could_ love me.

* * *

 **Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Another chapter! You guys seemed to like the last one, thank God! I loved the reviews, keep 'em coming please!**

* * *

I turned away from the bar to see Derek fiddling with his collar. He looked nervous, uncomfortable even. I knew he wasn't a fan of this place, the loud music and the crowd stressed him out, made him restless. As I stepped down to go see him, a gentle hand grasped my arm and pulled me back, this time even closer to him than I was before. His breath fanned over my face, reeking of alcohol as he told me yet another story. His brown, almond eyes gleamed with happiness as he spoke.

"Oh and that's not it, the last time this happened I had to write the whole assignment all over again! How unfair is that. Anyways..."

I zoned out. Don't get me wrong, Simon was great, a real charmer, but he cold talk for days. And right now, I was on the recieving end of his never ending chatter.

Derek, Simon's brother, on the other hand, was more of a listener. We were both quiet people, which is why we were best friends. We were the same person at times, but others we were completely different. He was hot-headed, yet somehow logical. Straight to the point and never sugarcoated anything, while I tried my hardest to demonstrate patience and kindness with everybody. Tori and I always joked that we needed to train Derek in manners, but the gag never went down too well with him. He was too stubborn, too set in his ways.

We were at the Summet bar in downtown Buffalo, everyone's favourite place to catch up on a Friday night. We weren't here for any particular reason. Liz and Tori just wanted a night out and Simon, Derek, Rae, Brady and I got dragged along. Rae, Brady and Liz were nowhere to be seen, leaving Derek sitting in a booth with his sister Tori. I watched as she walked up behind him and smacked him upside the head with her open palm. She said something that I could only imagine was a dig at him for wanting to be anywhere but here. He murmured something back to her, a look of displeasure etched on his beautiful face. His forest green eyes darted around the room, a sneer of disgust forming on his lips as he ran his finger through his long, jet black hair.

I hated the bar. _Hated_ it. We both did, and we only ever went because of our friends. Never out of our own volition.

Simon was still chattering away in the background as I watched Derek grab his jacket and head for the door after speaking a few quick words to Tori. I went to follow him outide but was stopped by Simon once again, striking up a completely different conversation. The boy clearly couldn't understand social cues. I endured another ten minutes of his rambling before finally excusing myself to the bathroom where I pulled out my phone.

 _Hope u got home okay xx - C_

I pressed 'send' on my phone only to have it buzz in my hand again seconds later.

 _In the cab now, nearly home. Have fun tonight -D_

I grinned at my phone, knowing he was being sarcastic. He knew I wasn't having fun, that I'd rather be at home in my pyjamas fiddling with my newest film editing software. Fighting the urge to reply back with something smart arsed, I stuffed my phone back in my pocket and headed back out to where Liz and Tori sat at the booth, now joined by Simon. I slid in next to him and he stretched an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in uncomfortably closer. I smiled shyly up him as he grinned back down at me, clearly intoxicated.

We sat, we talked, we drank for another three hours before finally calling it a night. Tori and Liz hopped into a taxi while Simon insisted on walking me back to my apartment. Why? Who knows? I was more than willing to split the cost of a cab, but Simon protested. Something about fresh air, but it was the dead of winter. The fresh air would freeze us to death.

We walked down the streets of Buffalo. I didn't bring a jacket. The bar was hot, why would I need one? Oh that's right, Simon was being a jerk and decided to take the cold way home.

I shivered.

"Here, have my jacket." He murmured sweetly as he shrugged off his coat and draped it over my shoulders. The weight of it pulled me down, but kept me warm nonetheless.

"T-thanks." I whispered.

"No problem." He beamed. For a guy who was half frozen walking through the streets in the dead of night, Simon was unusually chipper. I chalked it up to all that alcohol. We walked in silence for another ten minutes before I stopped in front of the familiar apartment building. The streetlamps were the only source of light, casting shadows over Simon's face. He stared down at me, as if wanting to say something.

"Well, this is me." I shoved my hands in my pockets. "Thanks for walking me back. Can I call you a cab or-"

"Chloe," Simon interrupted. "I-"

He didn't finish his sentence. Instead he lowered his face to meet mine and I knew what was coming. I just knew it. His eyelashes fluttered as his eyes darted between my eyes and my lips. I saw it in movies all the time, the way the boy looked at the girl right before they kissed, but when his lips touched mine, I still jumped.

"S-sorry, I-I-"

He let out a low chuckle. "Skittish as a cat." He murmured, his eyelids heavy as he dipped his face down to mine again. A cold hand slid to the back of my neck, the other at my chin to tilt my head up towards to his. "If I'm moving too fast-" His breath fanned over my face.

"N-no." I interrupted. _Yes, too fast. Stop it!_ My mind screamed.

"Good."

This time I didn't jump, I didn't flinch, there was no gasp. I didn't do anything and he was so, _so_ cold. His hands, his lips, his nose. All freezing. I'd kissed boys before. Not many, but they were boys that I liked and every time it felt warm. _Inviting._ My brain finally caught up and I moved my lips against his, but kissing Simon didn't give me that warm, fuzzy feeling. The same feeling I got when I was around Derek. It felt awkward, like I was doing something wrong, making a huge mistake and-

He stopped and pulled away, his face only inches from mine. His dark, almond eyes scanned my face, trying to gauge what I was thinking.

"Wrong guy, huh?" He said, his voice so soft I barely caught it. His brow furrowed.

"Wh-what?"

He finally moved his face away from mine, completely devoid of emotion.

"There's someone else." He said simply, as if it weren't even a question. This time he spoke loud and clear.

"Someone? A boyfriend? Simon you know I don't- I would never-"

"Never kiss me back if that was the case, I know." He took another step back. "I don't mean a boyfriend, just _someone."_ He glanced down pointedly at the watch on his left wrist, but he wasn't reading the time.

It was the watch Derek gifted him for his birthday two weeks ago.

"D-Derek? You think I-" I couldn't finish. I wanted to _laugh_ , I did laugh. The thought of me and Derek together was so crazy, so ridiculous I scoffed at the thought. My breath caught as Simon watched me stumble over my words, trying to explain how utterly silly he was being.

"Derek and I aren't-"

"Not yet, I know."

"Not ever. I-I don't-"

 _Please, Chloe. Please just say it. Say 'I don't like Derek!'_

But I couldn't. I stuttered and stumbled over my words but I just couldn't say it. We stood in an uncomfortable silence, Simon stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he waited for me to answer.

"It's not like that." I finally whispered.

"No, it wasn't like that at first. It started to change a year ago when he was in one of your history classes. You'd hang out, tutor him. You even had your little inside jokes. The vibe changed. I told myself I was just imagining it, and there were so many times I thought I was right. It was just my imagination. Then tonight when we were talking up at the bar, getting close to me, you had your hand on my arm. I thought tonight was the night." He looked around, anywhere else but at me. "But then you were so eager to check up on him, to go over and sit next to _him."_ He went quiet. "Tell me I'm wrong, Chloe. Please, just tell me I'm wrong."

There was a hint of pleading in his voice that made me feel like the worst person in the world. Everything in me wanted to tell him he was imagining things. Here I had what I thought was my perfect dream guy. Handsome, charismatic, talented and dedicated. He was right there in front of me, confessing his love. Everything I could ever dream of in a boyfriend was in Simon and he was mine for the taking, but only if I could say those three words.

 _You're imagining it._

I opened my mouth to speak and nothing came out. Tears threatened to spill as he watched me make a fool out of myself, trying to spit out the words. I couldn't do it.

"It's not like that." I whispered eventually, repeating what I said only moments before.

Why? Why wouldn't I just tell him straight up? There was nothing there between me and Derek. But who was I crying to convince, Simon? Or was I trying to convince myself? Simon was everything I could have ever wanted. Why was I throwing it away? Why didn't it feel right to kiss him? Why didn't he give me that warm, fuzzy feeling that I thought I'd feel?

And why did I think about Derek when Simon was kissing me?

"Yeah, Chloe. It is like that." He clenched his jaw and turned to walk away. My eyes filled with tears as I called after him, knowing he could hear me.

But he didn't stop.

He disappeared around the corner before I finally let the tears spill, cascading down my cheeks as realised the mess I'd just dug myself into.

I stifled a groan and walked in the opposite direction, away from my apartment building and into the dark streets of Buffalo.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hola! There's a twist for this story in the bottom author's note ;) Please review, tell me what you think!**

* * *

Frantic knocking shook me from my dreams, bringing me back to cold reality. I groaned before swinging my legs out of bed, my toes touched the cold, hardwood floor of my bedroom and I shivered. Neon red numbers to my left read two thirty in the morning and I cursed whoever dared to interrupt my sleep. The grumpy old man in me wanted to curse and swear and rant. Who the hell came knocking at this time?

Stimultaneously rubbing at my eyes and stretching, I navigated to the door of my apartment where I, admittedly, angrily swung it open. My eyes travelled down, my brain not really connecting what I was seeing. Was this a dream? Was I really seeing her?

Chloe stood at my door. Her strawberry blonde hair had been blown around by the wind and the whites of her eyes looked red and sore. Goosebumps formed on her arms as she shivered. Surely she was cold. She didn't have a jacket.

"Have you been crying?" I blurted out.

Chloe shouldered past me and into my apartment. She found the freezer and pulled it open, carefully studying what I had for her. She pulled out a carton of chunky monkey and a spoon before plopping down onto my couch and switching the tv on, flicking through the channels.

The silence was broken by her coming across an old western movie, leaving it on that channel. I watched her eat a few more spoons of icecream before she waved the spoon around, listing off a random fact about old westerns.

I smiled at her, trying to at least look enthused. But taking in her appearance, I was more than worried. Chloe hadn't even made an attempt at hiding her bloodshot eyes or smoothing out her frazzled hair. She was in the same clothes she wore at the bar, a simple white v-neck shirt and a pair of ripped up blue jeans. Her black Converse were covered in dirt that she tracked into my apartment. She saw me looking down at them and kicked them off, muttering an apology.

"Where's Simon?" I asked her.

"He was walking me home." She bit her lip. "He left."

"He _what?"_ I snapped. "You mean he _left_ you? In the middle of the night?"

She blinked back at me, as if startled by my outburst. My tone changed and I frowned in concern.

"You've been crying.? I gently grasped her chin with my index finger and thumb and turned her face to look at me. "What happened, Chloe?"

"No I-" She started. "It's just dust." With my fingers still holding her chin in place, her eyes averted my gaze, as if she didn't want to tell me.

"You _have_ been crying." I sighed, shaking my head. "What did Simon-?" It came out as a growl, but I stopped myself, ashamed to think my brother might have done something bad.

But I knew. Of course he did. He was Simon, the heart breaker.

"N-nothing." She rushed. "It just didn't work out." This time it was a whisper and she breathed in heavily. "It's okay though."

I knew it.

"Didn't... work out?"

She nodded.

"Why?"

"Talk to Simon." She pulled away and stabbed her spoon into the tub of chunky monkey.

"I'm talking to _you,_ Chloe. What'd he do to you?" Another growl.

"I screwed up again. I know, you're shocked, I'm sure. Now let me eat this-"

 _She_ screwed up again? What did she mean?

"What did you do?" She looked anywhere but in my direction. "You like him, don't you?" I prodded, not wanting to hear her answer.

"Of course I like him, just not..."

"Not what?" I asked, admittedly too eager. Was this Chloe telling me that she _wasn't_ into Simon after all this time? Had I been wrong?

"Not like that." She cried. "Talk to Simon, he's the one who thinks-" She covered her mouth, as if to stop herself. Her eyes widened and everything about her body language made me think she wasn't supposed to say what she just did.

She scurried off the couch and threw the ice cream back in the freezer before making a bee-line for the door. I gently grabbed her arm, stopping her from opening it, and spun her around so I was blocking her from leaving.

"Chloe," I warned.

"Derek, it's late. I have to-" She stepped aside and I followed.

Another step. Another block.

"What does Simon think?"

It was almost comical. Here I was, six foot three, looking down on a five foot tall girl. If it weren't for the tears in her eyes, I would have laughed.

"That there's someone else." She blurted before taking a long, shuddering breath. "He thinks there's someone else." She whispered.

My heart thudded in my chest. Could Chloe hear that? I hoped not.

"Who?"

She looked up at me with those large baby blues. She opened her mouth as if to say something but then closed it, turning back away.

"I need to go." She whispered.

"Me?" It was my turn to blurt it out. Simon thought Chloe and I- no. There was no way. There was nothing between us to ever even indicate that could be a thing. Not to Chloe or Simon anyway. Chloe was oblivious and Simon could be as dumb as a rock. Of course, Tori knew that I liked Chloe but her redeeming quality was that she could keep a secret. Liz? No, Liz was off in her own fairyland most of the time. She didn't have time to figure out who was crushing on who.

So why did Simon think Chloe and I were...

"He thinks you and I are..."

"No, no. He knows we aren't." She rushed. I felt my shoulders slump but I couldn't tell if it was in relief or dejection.

"Good. So what does he think?" I asked, regaining my composure.

"That I like you." She rushed.

I stared at her. Waiting for her to say something. It must have been minutes as we stood there in silence. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment and I could tell she wanted to be anywhere but here, having this conversation.

 _Did_ she like me? Is that why things didn't work out with Simon?

"I don't." She said quickly. " _I don't."_

"You'd better not, Chloe. Because Simon likes you."

"I know."

"Do you?" I asked. "Because Simon's had girls at his beck and call ever since we were thirteen, and he chose _you."_

 _Stop it, Derek. You're not helping anything._

"These girls would use me to get through to him. Cute girls. Popular girls. They'd follow him around school like lost puppies and look to him as if he were their saviour." I said.

"So I should be thrilled to know that Simon could ever want me, right? I'm lucky that he even looked in my general direction?"

"Chloe that's not what I-"

"Of course it's not." She threw her hands up in the air and scoffed. "Of course that's not what you meant, but it sure as hell came out that way, Derek." She spat. "I must be _so_ lucky to know that I had the perfect guy pining after me. The sweet, caring guy who can seemingly do no wrong. I should _want_ to have him for myself, right? But no, I had to go after the insensitive jerk who can't take a hint. Like I said, I messed up again."

"The- what?" I stumbled back over her sudden outburst. It was unlike Chloe to get emotional and ramble.

"God, Derek!" She threw up her hands one last time. "You really are an idiot aren't you?" She raised her voice angrily before turning her back on me and storming off to the guest room where she slammed the door behind her.

Stupid? _Me?_ What the hell was she playing at? And why would she lie about there not being anybody else? She never mentioned any other guys before, she usually just hung around me and Simon. So was she also lying about not liking me too? Is _that_ what she meant when she wanted the insensitive jerk?

My head spun in confusion as I sighed in defeat and trudged back into my own room.

I'd just have to find out in the morning.

* * *

 **Surprise, this is going to be a four part story now. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up in under 2 weeks. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I can't stop. I won't stop. This is going to be a five-parter, but I swear on my life that the next chapter WILL BE THE LAST ONE.**

 **Sorry for the late upload, I told myself I'd have the chapter done in under two weeks. No excuses this time, I was just lazy and had writers block. The next chapter will come easier I think.**

* * *

I woke up to an empty stomach and the sound of birds outside my apartment window. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I recalled the previous nights events and immediately smacked my palm to my forehead.

 _Stupid, stupid Derek._

My toes touched the cold wooden floor and I didn't even flinch. The clock next to the bed read eight in the morning and I scoffed. For me this was a sleep in, for Chloe, it was early. I stretched out the kinks in my back and pulled a pair of sweats on before heading into the bathroom, making sure to tread lightly for Chloe's sake.

Hot water cascaded down my back as I eased away the tense feeling in my shoulders. I slept like shit and I was paying for it this morning. I stepped out the shower and towelled myself off as I stared myself down in the mirror. My hair was getting too long, my bangs could really use a cut. Chloe always said she hated the long hair because it hid my eyes. To me it didn't matter. I swept the hair out of my face and brushed my teeth before I pulled on a clean pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

The apartment was freezing and I turned up the heat, making sure the guest room was being warmed as well, before I set to work in the kitchen.

Flour, eggs, milk and sugar. I wasn't much of a chef, but I definitely knew how to make a mean stack of pancakes. Mostly thanks to Chloe - they were her favourite food. She insisted for months that I learnt how to make them instead of buying that pre-mix stuff where you'd add water and shake it. To me it tasted the same. One weekend I decided to trick her by giving her half pre-mix pancakes and half made from scratch. She knew straight away what I was up to.

The apartment was oddly quiet as I mixed the batter before pouring it into the pan. The pan sizzling was the only sound to break the silence. Usually I would play some music or listen to the radio as I made my food but in an effort to not wake Chloe, I decided against it. I carefully stacked three pancakes on top of one another and doused them in maple syrup. If Chloe had it her way she'd drink maple syrup straight out of the jug - it was her favourite. I sat at the kitchen counter for her to wake, hoping she wouldn't be too much longer.

I watched the time tick by on the clock, waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

I impatiently fiddled with my empty coffee mug before pushing myself away from the counter, towards the guest room. Knocking on the door, I fully expected to hear her muffled voice telling me to fuck off and that it was too early.

But nothing came. Not even a peep.

I knocked again. This time a little louder and called her name through the door.

Nothing.

My concern grew as more memories flooded from the previous night. I whipped out my phone and dialled her number, hoping for it to ring on the other side of that door. Instead I heard silence. The phone rang out several times before eventually going to voicemail. My brow furrowed and I turned the doorknob before swining it open. The guest bed perfectly made and empty. No sign of Chloe.

I cursed once I realised she must have snuck out in the middle of the night, or at least very early morning. It was unlike Chloe. A usual Sunday would consist of me dragging her out of bed halfway through the afternoon.

I closed the door and tidied the kitchen before settling down at my desk to organise some paperwork. The minutes ticked into hours as I watched the sun go down from my office window.

I slid a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner and folded my arms as I leaned back against the counter. Watching the sun go down, I wondered if Chloe was coming back. We usually spent Sundays together lazing on the couch and watching bad movies while we ate absurd amounts of junk food. Chloe's tradition, not mine.

But why _would_ she come back? Why _should_ she? She was furious at me last night. It was so unlike her to yell. And when she left early in the morning without saying goodbye? I knew I fucked up. Bad.

I should've let it slide. I shouldn't have pushed it. She made it clear she wasn't ready to talk but I just had to put my foot in it. And to imply that _she_ was the lucky one that Simon even looked her way?

What a fucking idiot I was.

I ate my dinner as I finished off working in my office. I glanced at the clock and it had barely just past seven in the evening. My cell phone buzzed and rang throughout the day, but none of them were Chloe's ringtone, so I didn't bother checking it, I just immersed myself in more work.

Eventually harsh banging on my apartment door caught my attention and I pushed myself away from my desk and headed towards the sound of the disruption. I swung it open to reveal a pissed off Tori.

"Oh so you're alive? Is there a reason you're not answering your phone?" She crossed her arms and shouldered past me into my apartment.

"Yeah go ahead Tori, make yourself comfortable." I rolled my eyes as I shut the door behind her. If my sister were a cartoon, steam would be billowing out of her ears as here eyes glowed red. However her normal demenour wasn't that far from it. She was definitely like her mother.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She asked. "Last night you were all sulky because Simon was all over Chloe and now that you know she doesn't want him, you act like... like _that?!"_ She glared at me. "She called me this morning. She was a mess!"

"Chloe was sad because her and Simon didn't work out. That has nothing to do with me." I grumbled as I crossed my arms, mimicing Tori's stance.

"It has everything to do with you!" My sister threw her arms up in the air, exasperated. "God you are such an idiot sometimes. I can't believe- UGH!"

I let Tori pace back and forth for a minute or two as she mumbled to herself, clearly infuriated.

"Tori, what are you doing here?" I asked, growing bored of her little outburst.

"Trying to talk some sense into you, you oaf." She bit back. "You make it very obvious to us that you're into Chloe and then you act like a tactless jerk when she expresses that interest back."

"Woah she never-"

"Oh shut up will you? While I'll admit her friendship with our dim-witted brother is confusing, it was always _you_ who she turned to Derek. It. Was. _Always._ You. And the first thing she did after all that crap with Simon blew up in her face was run straight here. To _you._ And you threw everything straight back in her face!" I tried to shush her as her voice grew louder. and her face became red with anger. "God, Derek. I don't know what she sees in you!"

When I didn't answer her, she sighed, uncrossing her arms and prompted me again. "Why do you do it, Derek? Why do you sabotage yourself?" She asked, her voice softer this time.

I avoided her gaze. "I don't."

Her glare hardened. "Yes you do. I grew up with you. You're my big bro, I've watched you do it over the last twenty three years. Even moreso when Chloe came into the picture. You pushed her towards Simon because you thought it'd make her happy, right? That he'd be better for her."

"He would have." I mumbled. "He would have made her happy."

I wasn't necessarily wrong. Simon was good at relationships. He was kind, generous, and for Chloe he'd wait on hand and foot. Me on the other hand? I had no experience. Nada. Zilch. Girls in highschool or college never held my interest so I never pursued anything, and I was okay with it. But it left me with a lack of confidence when I _did_ find somebody.

Chloe.

"Why are you like this, Derek?" She threw her hands back up. "Why do you not think you're worthy of somebody caring about you? It took you years to finally feel at home with us and dad, is it going to take another twenty for you to realise that Chloe cares about you too? Why?!"

"Because I'm not worth it." I snapped at her. She looked at me, stunned, and opened her mouth as if to say something but quickly closed it. "She came to you this morning, didn't she? She probably told you all the horrible things I said last night. That should tell you enough, Victoria. I'm not worth her time, I only ever upset her and make things worse. It's better off if she stays away from me."

"Derek..."

"No, Tori. Don't even bother." I place my palm on her lower back and guided her to the door despite her protests and swearing.

"I'm trying to help you, you frickin' imbecile." She hissed. "Trying to help you _and_ Chloe."

I ignored her. There was no me and Chloe.

She pushed her foot in front of the door to stop it as I tried to close it and looked up at me, chewing her lip. "Just... just talk to her, okay? She doesn't hate you. She just wants to talk."

I grunted something that resembled a response and closed the door behind her. Tori huffed on the other side for a few moments before I finally heard her footsteps grow quieter and quieter. I had to hand it to her, Tori was fiery and convincing when she needed to be. That's not to say she was necessarily right.

Chloe would be spared a lot of heartache if she didn't have me to deal with. I was the first to admit I knew how to put my foot in my mouth, and the outcome was never pretty. All those times I chewed her out over being in dangerous situations, last night, and what was probably more to come. She didn't deserve it. She never deserved it.

I fisted my hair in frustration and slammed my hand down on the coffee table, leaving a splinter in the wood, before heading to my bedroom. It was still early, but I had nowhere to be. By the looks of things Chloe wouldn't be making contact or coming over any time soon. I had no reason to stay up.

I _hoped_ Tori was right. I hoped Chloe didn't hate me for what I said, what I did. Even though I lost my temper at her more times than I could count by now. Chloe had a heart of gold, and deep deep down I knew she couldn't hate me for it. But on the surface I had a sinking feeling that told me that I messed up.

Why couldn't I see it before? Why couldn't I see what Tori saw when Chloe and I were together? Did Chloe really return my feelings? Or were we just really close friends? I was scared. No, I was _terrified._ This was unexplored territory for me, and for her too.

What I hoped, more than anything, was that it wasn't too late to salvage this.

Whatever _this_ was.


	5. Chapter 5

**It took me a while to do it, but here's the last chapter. I actually wrote this a few times, all different. I was initially going to start with having it in Chloe's POV where she ambushed Derek on the way to work, but I liked this one much better. Let me know what you think though, I'm so excited to have this story finished!**

 **And if you haven't already, there's a new story on my profile called To Where the Demons Follow. I'll be throwing up the next chapter within a few days so check it out, review it and let me know what you think! It's going to be my best story yet I think :)**

* * *

I paced back and forth in my office after Tori left. To anyone else, Chloe liking me was probably clear as day. To me though? Apparently I needed Tori to spell it out for me.

What an idiot I was.

I grabbed my phone and keys off the kitchen counter and rushed down the stairs of my apartment building and into the garage where I climbed into the car. There was no time to stop, instead I blew through stop signs and exceeded the speed limit by an amount that surely would have caused me to lose my license if caught.

The five minute drive to Chloe's apartment building felt like the longest five minutes of my life. Was I nervous? Yes. Was I sweating profusely? Sure was.

It was so unlike me to not have a plan, but here I was. Sitting in my car directly outside of her building, listening to a break up song on the radio while I tried to sort through my mind.

 _Stupid Derek, you aren't even going through a break up. Mute that shit._

What was I about to do? Run up the stairs, bang down her door and hope she'd forgive me after pleading for it? Or would I leave a card and some flowers and hope she'd accept them, and call me when she was ready?

Both of those scenarios felt over the top, and not at all what I would do in that situation. So instead I wiped the sweat off my brow and hopped out the car. On the outside I appeared calm as I watched my reflection in the windows of the building as I approached, but my heart was racing fast.

The elevator couldn't reach the ground floor quick enough and hurried in, frantically pressing the seventh floor button. The doors closed as I watched a brunette haired woman run for the elevator, but there was no time and they shut before she could reach it.

I reached the seventh floor and rounded the corner. 742B in gold letters hung above the peep hole on her door and I stopped, turning my back on it. Was I supposed to play it cool? Did I have to drop to my knees? Did I have to-

"Are you just going to stand there?" I heard the door squeal open behind me and I swung around. Chloe stood in front of me, a grey pair of sweats hung on her hips and a red cropped singlet covered not much of her torso at all. Her hair was in a messy bun and her eyes looked tired.

"I was going to knock..." I trailed off.

"Well...?" She stared up at me and opened the door wider, gesturing for me to come in.

"Thanks." I murmured.

Chloe moved over to the kitchen island and hoisted herself up onto it, crossing her legs underneath her as she grabbed for her mug of tea. "We should talk about last night."

"We should." I said as I leaned back on the counter behind me and faced her. Silence fell upon us as we looked at each other. She eventually broke eye contact to fiddle with the tea bag in her mug. "Chloe I'm sorry about-"

"If you don't want me that way, just tell me." She interrupted, rushed. Her voice shook.

How could she think that? I opened my mouth, but the words struggled to come out.

"But everything in me tells me otherwise. That you do want me. And everyone around us says it too. The way you act and look at me sometimes contradicts so many things about this whole situation. So why do you do it?" She interrupted, voice still shaking.

"Do what?" I asked, clueless as to what she meant.

"Tori's right. You sabotage yourself."

"I don't me-"

"-mean to. I know." A pause. "Why though?" She whispered.

I broke eye contact and looked around her apartment. The bright blue feature wall caught my attention, where she'd hung up all of her framed pictures and mementos. In the middle, the largest photo, was a photo of all of us. Chloe, Simon, Tori, Liz, Peter, Rae, and then myself, all in our winter coats standing in the park during the dead of night. Chloe and I stood off to the right of the photo, where she clung onto my jacket. I had my arm draped around her shoulder as I held her close, trying to shield her from the cold. On the other side of her was Simon, who had his arm around her waist as he beamed at the camera, however it wasn't him that she was snuggling up to. I'd seen that photo hundreds of times, every single time I went to Chloe's house, and not once did it ever cross my mind that maybe, just maybe, she wanted me more than she wanted Simon.

Along the wall were even more photos of us, some of the whole group, some of just a few of us, but overwhelmingly, most of them were of just the two of us. I chalked this up to us just being best friends this whole time. But now I was seeing it for what it really was. The little trinkets I gave her as gag gifts, the Christmas and Birthday cards I'd signed, all displayed along that wall amongst the others, but mine were always front and centre.

"Is it that you don't think you're worth it?" She interrupted my thoughts, my eyes snapping back to hers. I shrugged, not really knowing what to say but she could read me like a book.

Chloe hopped down from the counter and strode up to me. It was comical how short she was, barely just reaching my chest.

"You're going to have to help me out here." She huffed.

"What do you mean?"

She reached up and grabbed my shirt collar, pulling me down to her height. "You are such an idiot." She whispered before closing the distance and planting her lips on mine.

Her hands moved from my collar and wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer. It took a moment to register what was finally happening, but I eventually reciprocated and moved my lips against hers. My hands snaked around her bare waist and I pulled her closer, fire coursing through my body as she raked her hands through my hair, gently tugging it by the nape of my neck. She tasted like maple syrup and strawberries, and I never wanted this moment to end. I pulled her close and she gasped against my mouth before bringing one of her hands down to cup my cheek as we kissed.

She eventually pulled back for air, her pink lips swollen and her cheeks flushed a rosy red. Her sapphire blue eyes met mine and we rested our foreheads together as we caught our breath for a moment. I still held her close with my arms around her waist, and her arm stayed around my neck while the other rested on my cheek. I leaned into her warm touch and sighed. She was all I ever wanted.

"Derek..." She breathed.

"Chloe..."

"Just for the record, I absolutely think you're worth it."


End file.
